Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-09-15
Post No Bills.

The recent demonstration ut Wheel
J ing, W. Va, when number of posts
OF the Grand Army refused to pass I'M
der banner bearing Cleveland's por
trait with the inscription "God bless oul
president, the Communicating chief o.
the Army and Navy of tho United
States, has greatly agitated the pub
lie mind. The banner was put up foi
! the purpose of creating a disturbance
which might be used to the discredit Of
the Grand Army boys. The Democrat.
ic Office holders who put it up got moi
so much satisfaction out of it as they
hoped, for some sections of the army
passed under the banner and those who
refused simply swerved to the left and
left the banner. Bob Burdett supports
the action OF the posts who refused to
pass under the flag and explains their
feelings with his usual ingenuity:
1t seems to me that the hostility which
tie old soldiers exhibit towards the
combination of President Cleveland and
the United States flag is easily ex-
planned. 1t is simply an emanation Of
The soldier spirit; il is the soul Of a
soldiers life and habit-obedienc to
orders.
Along sometime ''endurin' the war"
the mob Of eamp-followers and spec
tators who followed The Union army for
gain and plumber got to using the
United States flag rs IN advertisement
1t tloated over and in front Of every
shoddy store in Cairo anG Memphis,
and painted across the Stars and Stripes
was the name of the firm that was max
ing 81 on every bill of 80 cents il sold
The flag was dishonored BY greedy
robbers who loved the soldier only for
what they could make out Of him and
waved the flag over his head while they
went through his pockets. | think il
was Grant-a soldier naturally thinks
that every good thing that was done
during the war was done by Grant
possibly while he was commanding the
military division of the Mis5issippi at
any rate it was some Union general who
issued an order forbidding this desecra-
ton of the flag 1t was q symbol of
honor; the emblem of our noble and
glorious cause; every star was sacred
10 the soldier; that banner was his
hourly inspiration; daily he braved
death under its folds aud he prayed
that it might be his winding sheet when
lie died To daub upon its azure field
tho fat face Of some civilian who never
spoke 3 warm-hearted word for the
Union until he found there was some
profit to be made out Of its defenders;
10 scrawl across its silken folds the
name of some trader whose greedy
hand was plunged into the soldiers
pocket; 10 use the flag as an advertising
sheet for pack of camp-followers, was
a disgrace. au outrage, u shameful dis
honor And So the General command
ing ordered that all such signs should
be taken down by the provost guard
and that no man should ever again dare
use flag of our country to advertise
himself and his shodiv wares, while
daily it was made mere sacred than
ever, baptised in tho fire os battle and
the life blood of brave mon The
thought, the feeling, that inspired the
order was horn in the heart 81 soldier
and the army applauied it.
We'll, now, the Old soldiers have not
forgotten that order. and to this day
the Grand Army hates to see the nag
used IS an advertisement for dry goods,
for clans. for salt fish, for tar, for GIN
lets, for trcacie. taify. popularity, votes.
or anything else. No mans portrait
has any right on the United States flag
the Presidents, or the suffers. or
even z. I. Barnum's The flag was
never made for that purpose; it wasn't
intended. when ii was designed, 10 be a
national picture gallery. And no man
who loves it. as does the men who
marched and fought and suffered under
it, likes to see it dishgured They re-
member the flag very distinctly as it
was when they carried it into battle.
and President Cleveland's picture
wasn't painted on il then: whv. then,
should it he there now? Ii Is sgldierIv
in the men of the Grand army to obey
orders. Forever float hat standard
Sheet but down with the advertise
ments. ROBERT j BURDETTE.
The body OF Gen. Fitzpatrick who
died at Santiago in December while,
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